Life Together
by JDH1080
Summary: Kishinuma Yoshiki claimed that the one thing he wanted was more moments with Shinozaki Ayumi. Thankfully he was able to have them, and so much more.
1. Chapter 1

Man when I first wrote this story two, almost three, years ago I never thought I'd get this far. The fact that I managed to finish Life at the Shinozaki's makes me very happy. Anyways here it is, the promised sequel. A few things I want to note here This isn't like LatS where I'm trying to tell a continuing narrative. This is a series of one-shots in the world of LatS. Some chapters will be set post epilogue, some will be set before. You get the point.

Important note, this is unbetaed, so expect somewhat lower than usual quality.

This first chapter is set ten years following the end of LatS, so expect Ayumi and Yoshiki's interactions to be different than how they were in LatS. Also in this chapter, Yoshiki is no longer a blond, just thought I'd point that out.

* * *

Life Together

Chapter One:

Dark blue eyes slowly peeled open to blurry images. Ayumi blinked slowly at the mass of dark hair in front of her, after a moment her eyesight cleared and she saw the familiar form of a young girl. The young woman's lips turned into a warm smile at the child sleeping before her. Unfocused grey eyes hesitantly opened at the sounds of someone moving. "Okaa-san?" The three, nearly four year old sleepily muttered.

"Go back to sleep, Kana-chan." The girl's mother told her in a soft tone before placing a light kiss on her forehead. The young girl nodded before closing her eyes and settling back into the sheets. Ayumi watched her daughter quickly return to dreamland for a few minutes.

Looking past her the twenty-seven year old noticed that there was an empty space past the sleeping child. Covering her mouth Ayumi stifled a yawn, so as not to rouse her daughter again. 'He must have already gotten up.' She thought to herself, as she could hear the muffled sounds of someone moving around in the kitchen.

Turning her gaze to the nightstand on her husband's side of the bed Ayumi took note of the time, it was just a little before seven in the morning. 'He let me sleep in...' The dark haired woman thought with a slight roll of her eyes.

She was slightly thankful at her husband's thoughtfulness, but at the same time annoyed at him not waking her when he got up, like she had asked. 'Oh well...' It wasn't a big deal, since she didn't have to be at work until ten that morning.

Ayumi slowly lifted the sheets and turned her body so that her feet were on the floor. Tiptoeing around the bed she quietly opened the slightly ajar bedroom door and closed it behind her with a soft click. Turning her head she noticed the door picture handing on the wall next to the master bedroom.

The photo was a little over three years old and featured her and her husband both wearing identical smiles. Ayumi's dark hair had been tied back into a ponytail and the tall man next to her had an arm wrapped around her shoulder. Her husband was looking down at her and the baby in her arms with a warm expression few had the privilege of seeing.

Ayumi smiled as she remembered that day. 'That was right after he decided on going to university.' She thought with an internal chuckle.

The scent of cooked food caught her attention, looking to the left Ayumi allowed her feet to carry her to the kitchen. Entering small room Ayumi's eyes caught sight of her husband standing at the stove. A small smile graced her features at the sight of him cooking breakfast. Quietly sneaking up on him she slowly slipped her right hand into his, and gave a small squeeze before kissing his cheek. "Good morning." She murmured against his cheek before stepping back.

Kishinuma Yoshiki's shoulders tensed in surprise before they relaxed, turning over his shoulder he noticed his short statured wife standing behind him clad in a simple night gown. Smiling at her he leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips. "Morning, Ayumi." He greeted before turning his attention back to the stove.

"I told you to wake me up." The dark haired girl reminded her husband, though her tone held only mock annoyance.

The dark haired man looked at his wife before chuckling at her. "Sorry, sorry." He told her before turning his attention back to the task at hand. "You looked so peaceful sleeping, I couldn't find it in myself to disturb you." He admitted. "I was going to go back in and wake you up after I finished making breakfast." He informed his wife in an attempt to placate her.

Ayumi offered a small smile. "Since I'm up, do you need any help?" The former class-rep would be the first to admit that she did not share her mother or sister's talent of the culinary arts, but she was more than capable of helping in the kitchen.

Yoshiki smiled at her penchant for wanting to lend a helping hand. "I'm nearly done, but if you want to set the table I'd appreciate it." At his request Ayumi went about setting the table.

By the time she was done Yoshiki had turned the stove off and was placing food on plates. It was then that they heard the sound of a door opening. The young adults looked up to see their three year old daughter enter the kitchen. "Good morning Okaa-san..." She yawned while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Otou-san..."

Ayumi smiled at the still sleepy form of their daughter. Walking over to the toddler she bent down and picked her up. "Good morning, Kana-chan. Did you sleep better?" She asked, her adopting warmth.

The little girl hummed before hugging her mom. "I didn't have anymore bad dreams after sleeping with Okaa-san." Her voice responded, losing some of it's sleepiness.

Yoshiki's lips curved up into a small smile at seeing Ayumi holding their child. 'More moments...' He thought to himself before announcing that it was time to eat.

Breakfast at the Kishinuma household was somewhat quiet that morning. Ayumi could tell that her husband was nervous for his first day of work at his new job. He had spent nearly a decade working at the same music store, even becoming a manager around the time he decided to further his education. 'This is a pretty big career change for him, I hope his first day goes well.' She thought to herself before slipping her hand under the table to grasp his.

Yoshiki, feeling his wife's hand in his, looked down in slight surprise before looking back up. Meeting his wife's blue eyes he offered a look of appreciation before squeezing her hand in return. Once breakfast was finished Ayumi took Kana to help get her changed into her outfit for the day while Yoshiki collected the dirty dishes.

Once everyone was properly dressed the young family left the confines of their house and made for a few houses down. The door they knocked on gave way to reveal Ayumi's older sister. Hinoe smiled warmly at her sister's family before turning her attention to her niece. "Hello, Kana-chan. Are you ready to spend the day with Oba-san?" The thirty-seven year old woman asked, her voice as warm and motherly as ever.

The little girl brightened at her aunt's question. "Yes!" She cried out excitedly, eager for what her aunt had planned for their day together. Maybe Hinoe Oba-san would take her to the park again.

Hinoe smiled before her younger sister drew her attention. "Thanks again, Onee-chan." Ayumi said grateful that her sister had agreed to watch Kana for day. Dropping to one knee she let her daughter down so youngster could enter the older woman's house.

Hinoe smiled warmly. "It's no problem, Ayumi-chan. I love babysitting Kana-chan." She assured her twenty-seven year old sister.

The three adults exchanged a few more pleasantries before Ayumi and Yoshiki left to go to work. As she was leaving Ayumi had promised that she would be around to pick her daughter up around five. Hinoe smiled as she watched her sister and brother-in-law leave before turning to her niece. "Kana-chan, I made some snacks. Let's have a nice lunch, and then I'll take you to the park."

"Yay!" The dark haired child exclaimed before going into her aunt's kitchen. Hinoe chuckled at her niece's excitement before following her.

* * *

"I'll see you on your lunch break." Ayumi had told Yoshiki before kissing his cheek and walking off to her place of work. After finishing her education at Kisaragi Academy Ayumi had gone on to university and majored in art. With Yoshiki's support she graduated and accomplished her goal of becoming an illustrator.

Yoshiki watched his wife leave with a fond smile on his face. Even after nearly ten years of being together he still felt his heart race every time she initiated something intimate. Whether it be a kiss on the cheek, her holding his hand, or something more he was reminded everyday the reason that his heart kept beating.

Shaking away the thoughts of his wife Yoshiki turned and began walking a familiar path he hadn't taken in nearly ten years. Upon arriving at the gate to Kisaragi Academy he half expected to see Naomi and Seiko standing by the shoe lockers, the latter of whom waiting to tease him and Ayumi. Of course though the pair were not at Kisaragi, as they were off doing their own things. Naomi was currently on maternity leave after giving birth to her and Satoshi's second child, a girl this time, and Seiko was working at a hair salon on the other side of the city.

Thinking about his old friends caused the young man's thoughts to wonder to that of his long time friend. 'I wonder how Satoshi's doing?' Yoshiki thought to himself as he pulled his phone out and reread his best friend's latest text.

{Hey man, heard that today's your first day on the job. Sorry I haven't been able to hang out much lately. Hope everything goes well.}

Sadly with their respective workloads Yoshiki and Satoshi had very little time to meet up. Also there was the fact that the brown haired man's wife had just given birth to his second kid, Yoshiki doubted they would be able to get together anytime soon.

Pocketing his phone the twenty-seven year old man entered his old high school. Most of the teachers who had taught during his time here were long gone, Tsubota included. "Thank god for that..." Yoshiki muttered, recalling his dislike for the oaf of a teacher. 'Thankfully though, the best teacher I ever had is still here.' The former delinquent thought with a nostalgic smile.

On graduation Yui had taken him aside after the ceremony, and despite no longer being his instructor had given him a hug and congratulated him. "I always knew you could do it, Kishinuma-kun." The violet eyed woman had told him, proud of her former student's accomplishment.

Coming up to his old classroom Yoshiki smiled fondly at the door he use to open everyday. 'And for this school year I'll be spending a lot of time back in here.' He thought with a slight chuckle before opening the door.

Inside was a young woman in her early thirties. She had brown hair that went past her shoulders and light purple eyes. Her attire was pretty similar to what he remembered her wearing, a purple blazer and light shirt with a blue pencil skirt. Shishido Yui looked away from her new students, who were all finding their seats, to see the entrance of her former student. "Kishinuma-kun," She greeted before walking over to him.

Yoshiki smirked. "Hey, Yui-sensei. I'm back." He told her with a light chuckle.

The thirty some year old smiled up at him. "It's so good to see you, I was surprised to find out that you would be coming on as a teacher's assistant for my class." Not that she wasn't ecstatic. In fact Yui was over the moon to know that one of her former students had chosen this career path. 'I always knew he could make something of himself, I just never would have expected this.'

The former delinquent entered the classroom. "This brings back memories..." He commented, looking at the students who had now quieted down. They were all taking in his appearance, probably wondering who he was and why their teacher seemed so familiar with him.

Yui smiled. "How's Ayumi-san?" The brown haired woman had kept in contact with the previous class-rep of 2-9, but they hadn't communicated in awhile.

Yoshiki's eyes brightened slightly at the mention of his wife. "Ayumi's doing well, she's been working with the same publishing company since she finished at her university."

The brown haired woman nodded, taking in Yoshiki's words. "I'll have to come visit sometime. I've been wanting to meet that adorable little girl of yours."

"Um, Shishido-sensei?" A female student called out hesitantly.

At hearing the current class-rep's voice Yui turned away from Yoshiki to take in her students. "Ah right." She said before fully giving them her attention. "Everyone, this is Kishinuma Yoshiki. Starting today he's going to be our assistant teacher. Please treat him as you would me."

Yui turned to her former student turned teacher. "Now then, Kishinuma-sensei would you like to say anything to the class?" She asked.

The dark haired man glanced at her before nodding. Turning his attention to the teenaged students he took a moment to reflect and think about how he was at that age. 'I use to cause trouble, I bet these kids would be real surprised to know that their new teacher was a trouble maker.' The dark haired man smirked.

"It's been awhile since I was in your guy's shoes, but I do remember what it was like. When I was in this very classroom I wasn't an honor student. I was actually expected to fail. But thanks to the support of the people around me I succeeded. While I'm here if any of you ever need help, don't be afraid to talk to me." Kishinuma Yoshiki said before stepping back.

Yui made a noise of approval before turning to her class. "Alright then, now that that's out of the way let's begin. Please pull out your text books and open to page 36."

Yoshiki watched the students file out of the classroom after the lunch bell rang. Looking at his phone he saw the text from Ayumi, informing him that she was on her way.

"Kishinuma-kun, would you care to join me for lunch?"

Yoshiki looked up to see the kind face of his new co-worker and smiled. "Sure. I hope you don't mind that Ayumi's going to be joining us."

Yui's smile widened even more. "Nonsense, the more the merrier. It's been so long since I've seen you two, it'll be good to catch up with Ayumi-san."

While Yui opened her bento Yoshiki sat off to the side and looked at his phone to see that Ayumi had texted him again.

{I'm at Kisaragi. It feels so weird being back here after graduating. haha.}

Yoshiki smirked at her text before responding with an affirmative that he had seen her message and that he agreed with her sentiment. Not long after that the door to the classroom opened and in came his wife, carrying two bentos. She smiled upon seeing her husband, and grew excited the moment she saw her old teacher. "Sensei!" The former class-rep called out, causing the thirty-three year old woman to look up.

"Ayumi-san!" Yui said before standing up to greet her old student. "It's so good to see you." She said, with a pleased smile.

Pleasantries were exchanged and the two former students sat down for a nice meal with their old teacher. "I never thought I'd be back here again." She said before looking over the familiar classroom.

Shishido Yui smiled at her former student. "It feels like it's been so long." The violet eyed woman stated with a nostalgic smile.

Ayumi grinned. "Careful now, Shishido-sensei. We're not that old yet." She joked with a light chuckle that was shared by the brown haired woman.

The three adults seated themselves, with Ayumi placing a light peck on her husband's cheek as she slid into her chair next to him.

"What have you been up to since I last saw you?" The thirty-three year old woman inquired as she dug into her food.

Ayumi, pausing in the middle of eating answered. "Well I've mainly been working at the same publishing company as the last time we spoke." Yui nodded at this, remembering that her new teacher's aide had told her so. "Yoshiki and I have been pretty busy with Kana-chan." She informed the older woman while referring to her three-year old daughter.

Yui smiled as she remembered seeing some of the pictures Ayumi had posted online. "I've seen pictures of her, she's so adorable." She told her former students who both looked happy.

"She looks just like her mother." Yoshiki told Yui who chuckled at Ayumi's cheeks becoming slightly pink at the subtle compliment.

"She does have your eyes though." Ayumi pointed out, over the years she had grown to really like Yoshiki's eyes. She felt that she could gleam so much from him just by looking into his eyes. Gray eyes blinked at her for a moment before the young man smiled.

"So where is she today?" Yui asked, she would have liked to have met Kana.

Ayumi sighed as the heat finally faded from her cheeks. "She's with my sister, I would have brought her but I had to work today." She told her former educator regrettably.

Yui lips made a thin line. "It's okay, I'm sure with Kishinuma-kun working here I'll end up seeing her at some point." She told her former student, not at all bothered.

The three continued their casual chit chat over lunch until it was time for Ayumi to head back to work, and for lessons to resume. Ayumi offered her husband a quick peck and promised that she'd be back when he got off so they could go pick Kana up together.

* * *

Yoshiki's day went by in a blur as he continued observing Yui's classes and interjecting when needed. Once the final bell had rung and the students were let go, the brown haired woman told Yoshiki to head home. "Go home, Kishinuma-kun. I'm sure Ayumi-san's waited long enough." The brown haired woman told Yoshiki who nodded thankfully before heading out.

He met with Ayumi at the front gate, the married couple greeted each other before heading off to Hinoe's to pick up their daughter. As they walked they held hands and talked about the various aspects of their day. Ayumi told Yoshiki about the new cover she was designing and how she was excited to be working with this particular author while Yoshiki mentioned how nostalgic it had been to be in a class with Shishido Yui again.

When Hinoe heard someone knocking on her front door she glanced at the time. "Wow, it's already that time?" She was surprised, the day had gone by so fast. Looking at the little rug rat resting on her lap she softly roused her. "Kana-chan, wake up. Wake up Kana-chan, Okaa-san and Otou-san are here." She said as the sleepy child slowly peeled open her eyes.

With a quiet laugh Hinoe got the child to her feet and escorted her to the front door. Opening it she was met with the faces of her sister and brother-in-law. "Time to go home, Kana-chan." Hinoe told the three year old who yawned.

Ayumi smiled as she stepped forward and scooped her daughter up. Holding her close she turned to her sister and thanked her. "Thanks for watching her, Onee-chan."

Hinoe smiled. "I told you, Ayumi. It was no trouble whatsoever."

Ayumi nodded before looking back at her sleepy daughter. "Say goodbye to Oba-san." She told her daughter who gave her aunt a sleepy wave.

"I'll see you guys later." Hinoe told the family of three before they made to walk home.

After returning home Yoshiki went about making dinner, with Ayumi's help, and the family of three sat down to a nice quiet meal. Once they finished eating Yoshiki took Kana into the living room to play a game while Ayumi did the dishes.

It was some time after eight o'clock when Kana grew sleepy and was put to bed while the married couple opted to stay up for a little longer. Ayumi smiled as she felt Yoshiki's hand take hers, looking at him she met his gaze and bit her lip at the slightly suggestive look in his eyes.

At her nodding at his silent question the two young adults turned off the television and headed to their room for some privacy. However as Yoshiki was trailing kisses down his wife's exposed neck a knock was heard against the door. Ayumi had to stifle a laugh as she felt her husband sigh into her neck. "Every time..." She heard him mutter as he separated from her and allowed her to answer their bedroom door.

Standing before her was a timid looking three-year old with gray watery eyes. "Nightmare?" Ayumi softly asked her three-year old daughter who was currently clutching a stuff bunny to her chest. When she nodded her head the twenty-seven year old gestured for the young girl to come on in.

Yoshiki smiled as he watched his wife and daughter enter the room. Despite the interruption he didn't mind too much, there'd be time for such a thing later. For now he was more than content to enjoy the quiet moments with his family.

Once Kana was situated between her mother and father the lights were turned off and the family of three drifted off into sleep.

* * *

And there's the first chapter of this one shot collection. I hope you all enjoyed this brief glance into the future. Also what did you all think of the idea of Yoshiki's future career choice? I got the idea from a fanmade CP game where Yoshiki became a teacher. I wish I could remember the name of it...

Another thing, this story will never be "finished" because it's me simply writing a one-shot for these two characters when I feel like it. I could decide to make this story five chapters long, or I could make it ten chapters long. Or I could just make this be the only chapter. (Probably won't do that as I am working on chapter two as of writing this.) Regardless I hope you all enjoy what I have to bring to the table.


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, last chapter was set ten years after Life at the Shinozaki's, now let's jump back to just after the end of LatS. This chapter is basically a quick telling of their first date. Important thing I feel to note is that the quality might be a bit lower as this story is not a required part of this series and is unbetaed. This is basically fluff for those who may have wanted it. Be that as it may I will still do my best to create something enjoyable for my readers.

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Life Together

Chapter Two:

Yoshiki frowned as he looked at his phone. Noting the time he sighed, realizing that in his excitement he had arrived a little too early. '9:25.' Glancing around he noticed that a number of couples were meeting up for dates and heading off together while he remained alone. 'She'll be here soon.' He told himself, looking at the text that she had sent him.

{I'm on my way. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes.}

According to the time stamp that was about ten minutes ago. Yoshiki breathed a shaky sigh, this was it. This was the day he had been waiting for over the last year. Today was the day he and Ayumi would be going on their first, and hopefully not last, date.

Yoshiki smiled ruefully as he remembered the teasing his sister and Hinoe had given him earlier before leaving his apartment. "Have her home before dark, Kishinuma-kun." Hinor had said with a smile while Miki snickered.

"Yeah, and don't be too eager, and Ayumi-san might let you kiss her."

Yoshiki had frowned as Miki and Ayumi's sister had shared a laugh.

Suddenly Yoshiki looked up and saw her making her way over. She was wearing a light blue dress that went down to her knees, with a white jacket. Her hair was in it's trademark twin tails but the blond noticed something different about her.

'She's wearing make-up.' He observed, noticing that Ayumi's lips were a very light shade of red and that the rest of her features we're subtly highlighted. It was only a light bit, and Yoshiki had the feeling that if he weren't paying attention he might not have noticed. It was nice to know that she also wanted to make an effort for this date. The notion that Ayumi also wanted this to go well encouraged Yoshiki.

"Hello, Kishinuma-kun." The dark haired girl greeted him, trying to emit her usual cheer.

Realizing that he was staring Yoshiki quickly tried to cover up his nervousness. "Hey, Shinozaki..." He greeted and then silence.

The two teenagers glanced at each other awkwardly for a moment, waiting for the other to make the first move. The blond inwardly frowned as the silence persisted for a moment longer before clearing his throat. "You look very nice today." He complimented, causing Ayumi's ears tips to turn red at his unabated form of flattery.

While it was embarrassing for him to come out and say it Ayumi could appreciate his words The fact that someone she considered important could pay her such a compliment made her happy.

"Thank you, Kishinuma-kun." Ayumi told him after a moment, honestly appreciating his effort.

The blond smiled in returned before shoving his left hand in his pocket and feeling the tickets for the museum. "Let's get going before we miss the train." The dark haired girl nodded agreeably before following him.

With it being a weekend and people being out and about the train was fairly packed, but thankfully the two were able to find a seat. The blond glanced at his left to peek at Ayumi, she seemed to be slightly nervous as well, but was doing her best to keep things from becoming awkward.

The past week since he had confessed and asked her out had been interesting. While they did for the most part act as they usually had, there was an air of nervousness around them now. Normally it was when they would first meet up in the morning or when they would sit to work on homework together.

Thankfully the awkward air didn't seem keen on sticking around and after a little while of being in each others presence they their usual dynamic would return. 'I guess it's just a matter of getting use to this.' He thought to himself as he remembered the day of the culture festival.

The results of his confession had been better than he could have hoped. Ayumi, while she hadn't claimed to feel exactly as he did, was giving him a chance. 'She wants to give me a chance.' He reminded himself as he recalled that day. Her wide expression as he told her how important she was to him, thinking about that brought a smile to his face.

He was cut away from his thoughts as he suddenly felt a smaller hand holding his own. Making a soft noise of surprise he turned to look at Ayumi, whose gaze was focused forward, but had a light bit of pink dusting her cheeks. Looking down he noticed that she had grabbed his hand, smiling he decided not to comment on it and instead gave her hand a light squeeze.

They rode the train in silent, just simply holding hands. And when they got up and made to leave she didn't let go.

The museum was roughly a ten minute walk from from the station. They only thing that stuck out about the teenaged pair holding hands, was Yoshiki's bleached hair amongst a sea of dark hair.

When they arrived at the museum Yoshiki handed the tickets to the woman directing patrons in. After entering the blond was surprised to see Ayumi pulling out her sketchbook.

Upon noticing the blond's questioning gaze Ayumi explained. "Since you said we were going to an art museum I figured I would bring my sketchbook to take notes or draw something up if I get inspired." She felt a little self conscious at his gaze.

The blond found her answer to be pretty endearing. A few months back during their summer break she had expressed her desire to be an illistrator. He very much supported her dream, even if, according to her, her parents were against it.

"That's cool." He told her with a smile that was able to put her at ease. "Would you mind letting me see if you do draw anything?" He would very much like the chance to see her artwork. Over the last few months she had occasionally shown him bits and pieces, but she wasn't always eager to share. He had learned about how self-conscious of her work she was through Hinoe. He greatly appreciated it whenever the twin tailed girl decided to show him anything.

The dark haired girl looked surprised at his request but decided not to deny him. "I-if you want to, I guess." She told him. Despite having shown him a few of her drawings she still didn't like letting people see her works that she wasn't confident in.

The blond nodded, not too deterred by her weak response. "Of course, I always like seeing your art." Yoshiki felt the need to compliment her, which caused her face to redden slightly.

After a moment Ayumi willed the heat away from her cheeks and offered her friend an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Kishinuma-kun." She knew that Yoshiki wasn't the type to lie to someone to make them feel better. So when the blond complimented her she knew it was genuine.

The pair walked around the museum taking in the various types of paintings and sculptures. As Yoshiki lead the way Ayumi watched with rapt attention all of the exhibits while jotting down notes.

After nearly an hour of walking they took a seat on a bench. "Whew." The dark haired girl said as she took a moment to rest her feet. Now that she was sitting she realized that she was thirsty, reaching into her bag she pulled out a water bottle and opened it.

Yoshiki watched from the side as she took a quick drink. So far this date was going pretty well. He and Ayumi hadn't really spoken a whole lot since they arrived. However the dark haired girl seemed to be enjoying herself, evidence to this was how her face would light up as she took note of the various styles of techniques the pieces of art incorporated.

Feeling his eyes on her the dark haired girl turned her attention to the blond ex-delinquent. Meeting his grey eyes she offered a hesitant smile. "This has been pretty nice so far, Kishinuma-kun." She told him with a kind smile.

Truthfully she was enjoying herself. An art museum like this was the sort of place she would enjoy going to. So it was points in Yoshiki's favor that he had picked a place she ended up liking. At hearing that she was enjoying herself the blond felt himself be elated. "I'm glad, Shinozaki." He told her, happy that while the beginning had been a little awkward that the date was proving to be a pleasurable experience.

Ayumi smiled as she pulled her sketchbook out and turned to the most recent page she had written on. The dark haired girl had drawn a few rough sketches in similar styles to the artwork she had seen thus far. She felt that some of the techniques she was picking up could help improve the quality of her artwork.

Remember the presence of the blond beside her Ayumi sent him a brief glance to see that he was simply watching the people around them. Biting her lip she remembered his request to look at anything she might draw, and decided to grant it. Clearing her throat she captured his attention before offering her sketchbook for him to browse.

The blond teen looked at the dark haired girl, slightly surprised at her offer. A small smile graced his lips as he accepted the sketchbook. It wasn't often that Ayumi handed her work over for him to see.

The rest of their time spent at the art museum was pleasant. After Ayumi allowed Yoshiki to peer through her drawings, they continued exploring the exhibits before they felt they had seen all they could. After leaving they decided to grab something to eat at a small diner.

The two teens had just finished ordering their food when Ayumi addressed him. "You know, Kishinuma-kun. I'm glad we did this today." She told him genuinely happy to have gone on this date with her blond friend.

The gray eyed teen looked mildly surprised by her admission, before a small smile graced his lips. "I'm happy that you enjoyed this." He told her, pleased that things had gone so well. "I was worried that today might go wrong." He admitted with a sheepish expression.

The dark haired girl offered a small smile. "Thankfully it didn't. This was really nice." She told him. Even if she didn't consciously think it, she hoped that future dates between them would be just as pleasant.

Their food arrived shortly after that, and the two teens ceased conversation in favor of eating. Once they were finished with their meal Yoshiki paid for the food and they left.

The train ride home was spent mostly in silence. They had originally met up a couple hours before lunch time and had spent a few hours at the museum. Yoshiki glanced over at Ayumi who was currently watching the scenery pass by. The blond smiled at viewing her profile. he never would have thought he would have had a chance to enjoy a day like this with her.

When they arrived at her doorstep Ayumi surprised her blond friend by inviting him in. "Okaa-san did say if you wanted to stay for dinner you're more than welcomed to." The twin tailed girl had told him, responding to his expression.

The grey eyed teen allowed a small smile to grace his features as he followed Ayumi into her home to enjoy a nice meal with her and her parents.

Later that night after returning to his apartment he was greeted by much warm teasing from the likes of Hinoe and his sister, the latter of which had talked to him over the phone. Despite their large smiles and playful comments regarding his affections for a certain twin tailed girl, Yoshiki couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed.

It was the end of the first of many dates between him and Shinozaki Ayumi.

* * *

And there's the end of the second chapter. I'll admit that I didn't go into a whole lot of detail with this one, but that wasn't really the point. This chapter was just to sort of give the reader an idea of what the first date would have looked like between these two. Pleasant but nothing mind blowing. Anyways I hope everyone enjoyed this, this was relatively fun to write.


	3. Chapter 3

Whew, I nearly forgot to update this. I had meant to do this earlier after I got off but got distracted. And as I was laying about to fall asleep someone left a review for this story and I remembered.

Overall I was pretty happy with this chapter, I hope you all enjoy it. Also reminder, this is unbetaed, so quality might be a tad lower than usual.

* * *

Life Together

Chapter Three:

Their first kiss was not the story book version where they finished their first date with him taking her home, and planting a chaste peck on her at the doorstep to her house.

Their first kiss was during a dark unsupervised rainy night. They had been together for nearly three weeks, Yoshiki had taken Ayumi out on four date by that point. Yet he hadn't worked up the courage to kiss her or advance their relationship further.

A part of him was hesitant, as he wasn't sure if she was ready for that sort of intimacy. When they were together she often allowed him to hold her hand, but had made no indication of being okay with anything else. The blond teen didn't want to push her, as he was afraid she might lable him a pervert for wishing to be closer.

Unbeknownst to Yoshiki, Ayumi was slowly starting to get use to the idea of being romantic with him. She had begun wanting to be closer to him, have him hold her, say kind things, and even kiss her. The studious class-rep was slightly nervous to express such thoughts, as she did want to take her time with Yoshiki.

Ayumi believed that what she and the blond shared was special. Simply spending a few hours after school with him on homework had become the highlight of her day. And when he asked her to stay for dinner she couldn't help but be happy to spend more time with him.

A part of her did want to move forward with their relationship, let him know that it was okay for him to ask for more. But another part of her wanted to enjoy the moment and savor it. Just him holding her hand was enough to make her heart beat.

Their first kiss was on a dark rainy night, as heavy drops pelted the roof of Yoshiki's apartment. Lighting flashed outside just before a loud boom echoed in their ears.

The power had gone out some time ago and the only source of light was a small candle that Ayumi had produced.

The twin tailed girl looked up from her spot on the sofa as Yoshiki came into the room carrying his futon. Her lips dipped into a slight frown as he began setting it up.

After the end of school she had walked home with Yoshiki so they could do their homework. It had been raining steadily sometime around lunch, and the downpour had become heavier as they made for his apartment.

As the weather conditions had gotten worse, they had come to the easy conclusion that she could not walk home in the storm. A phone call to her parents and she was officially staying the night at her sister and Yoshiki's apartment.

Tugging at the collar of the shirt he had lent her Ayumi sighed. Her clothes were currently in the wash and she had already taken his pajamas. "I'm not taking your bed away from you." The dark haired girl told him, not wanting to deny Yoshiki anymore comfort for her own sake.

The blond looked over his shoulder at Ayumi's form. He couldn't quite see her properly with the lights being out, but he could easily picture the face she was most likely making. Yoshiki had the impression that she was pouting. "Shinozaki, I already told you," He reminded with a small amount of firmness. "I'm not letting you sleep on the couch." The words left his mouth as he finished setting up his futon.

That night the two had decided to sleep in the general vicinity of each other. The pair had elected to sleep in the living room, since the notion of them both sleeping in Yoshiki's bedroom had made them highly flustered.

Yoshiki quickly cut Ayumi off before she had the chance to reignite their earlier discussion. "If you don't take the futon, then I'll just sleep on the floor." He told her, hoping that would kill the wind in her sails.

Ayumi's pout deepened at her blond (boyfriend's?) declaration. "Kishinuma-kun..." She muttered, annoyed at his chivalry. While the dark haired girl could appreciate the sentiment, she still wasn't accustomed to letting people go out of their way for her.

Eventually Ayumi did concede and agree to use the blond boy's futon as he got set up on the couch. Settling in she turned on her side and closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. '...It smells like him.' That thought brought color to her cheeks as she recognized the blond teen's natural scent. Willing away that musing she closed her eyes and tried to go to bed.

Even with the gentle pelting of rain against the roof it was still a bit of a challenge for her to fall asleep. After what felt like an hour of laying awake her eyes finally remained shut and she was able to drift off.

It was maybe two hours later that she was roused by a particularly loud boom. Her eyes snapped open at the deafening sound that filled her ears and made them ring. Lips set in a frown line she turned over to face where she knew Yoshiki was laying on the couch only to gasp at seeing where he was now.

In his sleep he had rolled off of the sofa, and was now laying right beside her. Ayumi gulped at the closeness, if she inched her head forward just a tiny bit...Blue eyes widened as she realized that she had nearly acted on her thoughts.

Yoshiki's nose twitched as he felt someone breathe into his face. Blurry gray eyes opened slowly before blinking to take in the view before him. Upon seeing Ayumi's flushed face mere millimeters away from his he froze. 'She's so close...' The sound of twin heartbeats echoed in both of their ears.

The teens didn't say anything, and they refused to move for the longest time. Simply looking into each others eyes, as the rain continued to fall outside. Neither was sure who made the first move, but Ayumi's eyes were the first to flutter shut as their faces neared each other.

Yoshiki's heart was hammering in his chest as he watched her lips draw closer and closer, finally after what felt like an eternity they made contact. The moment their lips brushed against each others, was the moment Yoshiki realized that they were as soft as he always envisioned. Ayumi released a slight gasp at the sensation of his dry lips meeting hers, but didn't dare pull away.

Suddenly it was like a dam was broken, and the young couple allowed teenage hormones to dictate their first kiss. Ayumi moaned encouragingly as she tried to deepen the kiss, Yoshiki was surprised but happy to comply. Opening his mouth he was elated to find Ayumi's tongue searching for his. The blond released a satisfied noise as they eagerly explored each others mouths.

Slowly he lifted an arm and wrapped it around her waist before pulling the short statured girl flushed to him. Her right hand went up to touch his cheek as she shifted closer to the blond. "Yo-Yoshiki..." Ayumi whimpered against his lips as he slowly pulled back.

The ex-delinquent was surprised to hear his given name slip passed her lips, but didn't give her or himself much time to think about it before darting in for another kiss. Now that he had tasted her for the first time, he felt like a man who had been denied one of life's greatest pleasures. He couldn't get enough of Ayumi.

The dark haired girl's cheeks went aflame as she reciprocated the second kiss. Yoshiki's left hand trailed up from Ayumi's side to cradle the back of her head as he continued to hold her waist with his other hand.

Suddenly the sound of Yoshiki's cell phone ringing echoed and the magic was broken. The pair looked wide eyed at each other in surprise as the phone continued to ring in the background.

Reluctantly Yoshiki pulled away from Ayumi, as she mentally protested against the missing warmth.

Grabbing his phone Yoshiki was surprised to see the caller ID list Hinoe's name. Fighting the urge to scowl at Ayumi's older sister's timely intervention he flipped his phone open and answered the call.

"Hello?" He greeted his roommate. With a neutral expression, he silently listened to her explain that she wouldn't be back until tomorrow afternoon.

Ayumi remained in place on Yoshiki's futon. She had to strain her ears to hear the one sided conversation between Yoshiki and Hinoe. Ayumi slowly raised her pointer and middle fingers to her lips as she recalled the sensation of having had them pressed to Yoshiki's. Her face heated up exponentially as she realized she wanted more.

She was brought out of her musings as Yoshiki finished the brief conversation with her sister and hung up.

Gray eyes met blue and the two teens looked away in slight embarrassment. After a tense moment Ayumi glanced back at the blond and offered a nervous smiled. "I...that was nice, Kish- Yoshiki." The dark haired girl had corrected herself. After the passionate moment they had just shared it would have felt rather impersonal to refer to him by last name.

The blond felt his cheeks heat up slightly but reciprocated her smile.

Their third kiss was the very next morning. After walking Ayumi to her house and up to her front door he planted a light peck on her lips, before turning to leave.

The dark haired girl watched her blond boyfriend head off with a warm expression.

* * *

Like I said this was a fun little chapter to write. Be sure to leave a review, tell me what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

Alright I am vastly more satisfied with this chapter compared to what I had earlier. Interesting thing to note with this one, is I had actually planned on this chapter being a part of Life at the Shinozaki's, it would have been set between chapter fourteen and the epilogue, but I decided not to implement it because I felt it was unnecessary to that story's plot. Here however I have adjusted it to be set after LatS, and am pleased with how it turned out. I hope you all enjoy it.

* * *

Life Together

Chapter Four:

It was the last week of summer and the Kisaragi group plus Mayu and Miki were all gathered. Despite having spent their last year of high school away from here friends, Mayu felt as though she had never left them.

The brown haired girl looked down at the hand holding hers before smiling up at her glasses wearing boyfriend. Sakutaro kept his gaze focused on the group's current speaker. However he was far more aware of the girl connected to the hand he was holding.

This was a slightly new thing, it was kind of amusing that out of their entire group they were the last to get together. First had been Satoshi and Naomi during the first half of their second year at Kisaragi, then Yoshiki and Ayumi during the later half. Now half way through their final year Sakutaro and May had finally begun dating.

Ayumi grinned deviously as she continued her scary story. From her right Yoshiki was listening intently, his eyes only on her. From across her Satoshi was shaking like a leaf as Naomi tried to keep him from grabbing anything that would be inappropriate in public. The tomboy was a little more lenient to letting her boyfriend cling to her during Ayumi's stories, but still boundaries.

Seiko grinned as she registered movement from the corner of her eye. 'Oh I see how it is, Class-rep.' The bubbly girl thought to herself with a inward chuckle. It still amused her to no end how far Ayumi was willing to go to terrify her friends.

"And even to this day he wonders if what he saw was a figment of his imagination or if it was re-."

"BOO!" A feminine voice cried out into Satoshi's ear. The brown haired boy screamed in terror as Kishinuma Miki fell to the ground laughing.

Ayumi grinned at the appearance of her boyfriend's younger sister. "Good job Miki-chan." She complimented the younger girl who waled over to sit next to Yoshiki. Miki grinned in appreciation as she shared a quick high five with the twin tailed girl.

The blond smiled before lightly lightly patting his sister's head. "That was mean..." Yoshiki heard Satoshi mutter.

"You're too easily scared, Mochida-kun." Seiko said in between snickers.

Naomi rubbed her boyfriend's shoulder as he heaved a defeated sigh, despite her sympathy she was also smiling. It was the last week of summer and the group of teenagers were currently on a camping trip. They had brought two tents, one for the girls and another for the boys.

At the moment they were all gathered around a small camp fire. And of course Ayumi had just finished one of her latest attempts at scaring Satoshi to death.

Even if she was very happy with her boyfriend, and no longer craved Satoshi's attention it was still fun to scare him. "Please let that be it for scary stories." The brown haired boy pleaded as the group around him chuckled.

Ayumi settled in her seat as she shot another grin at the easily frightened boy. "I'll lay off, for now." She promised, her smile doing little to comfort Satoshi.

Yoshiki smirked at his best friend's reaction before glancing at Ayumi. Her blue eyes briefly turned in his direction before settling on the rest of the group. They were about to start the final event of the night. 'I can't believe I let her rope me into this.' The blond thought to himself in amusement.

Once the group had stopped laughing at Satoshi's expense Ayumi reclaimed their attention. "Okay before we all turn in, I had one last thing planned." Her blue eyes seemed to shine as she reached into her pocket to present four strands of red string. "It's time for Kimodameshi." The twin tailed girl couldn't contain her giggle at the surprised faces of her friends.

Kimodameshi, the test of courage. Typically involves people traveling a lonely dark path to a certain destination to place a token of some sort to prove their bravery.

The group gave varying facial reactions, Satoshi's of course being borderline terrified. Naomi and Seiko both looked interested in what the class-rep had planned, as did Mayu. Sakutaro, however, sighed and pushed his glasses up.

"So this was your plan, eh Class-rep?" Seiko questioned as Ayumi held the strands of string for every one to grab an end.

Ayumi's lips curved into a smirk. "There's more." She said as everyone grabbed an individual strand. "We'll be going in pairs, so when I drop these you'll know who your partner is." Ayumi explained as she indicated to the mass of strings in her left hand.

Grabbing the last strand with her right hand Ayumi turned to look at her boyfriend. It's funny a year ago she would have wanted to be paired with Satoshi, now for her plan she was hoping it'd be the blond who was looking at her. Releasing her left hand she watched as the strands gave way and revealed the pairs.

To her immense satisfaction she would be walking with Yoshiki. Seiko and Naomi were together, as were Sakutaro and Mayu. "Well this is unexpected..." Miki muttered as she looked at the person connected to her end of the string. Satoshi sighed as he nodded in agreement.

The brunette was by no means unhappy to be paired with Yoshiki's younger sister. But he really had been hoping to be able to go along with Naomi. Hopefully he'd be able to keep his nerves in check while walking with Miki. 'Yoshiki would be mad if I left his sister alone...' Satoshi reminded himself.

Ayumi turned to look at the rest of the partners. Seiko seemed pretty satisfied with her other half, and Naomi didn't appear to have many complaints. Though she was doing her best to keep the other girl from getting too personal. Sakutaro and Mayu were both blushing at the notion of being connected by a red string.

"This is the red string of fate." Ayumi explained as she lifted hers and Yoshiki's string. "We're going to be walking up to the shrine at the highest point. I went by earlier and placed a couple candles and matches." The blue haired girl informed them before grinning deviously. "When you get there you'll light your candle and begin walking back, but before you leave you have a choice to make." She paused to allow her friends a moment to let things sink in.

The group looked intrigued by her plan. "Wow Class-rep, I didn't realize you had put so much thought into this." Naomi commented as she smiled, enjoying Ayumi's latest event.

The blue haired girl appreciated Naomi's compliment. 'You have no idea, Nakashima-san.' She didn't say out loud. "When you light your candle you have three options." She informed the group while holding up three fingers and counting down. "If you don't like your partner you can burn you string and walk back separately. However if you like your partner you don't burn it and walk back together. Now if you really like your partner than you keep the string intact and walk back together hand in hand."

Ayumi glanced at Yoshiki, unlike the new couple that was blushing lightly she and Yoshiki were not embarrassed. Over the last eight months they had been dating they had held hands a lot, so they were use to such display of affections.

"Oh this will be fun." Seiko commented after Ayumi had finished her explanation. "A dark and lonely night, just you and I." She fluttered her eyelashes at Naomi who rolled her eyes before pushing her away.

"Easy there, Seiko. Don't make me have to discipline you for getting too out of hand outside of school." Seiko couldn't help but snigger at her friend's response.

* * *

The four groups quickly went about their separate ways of traveling to the shrine located at the top of the mountain. Ayumi glanced at her boyfriend as they walked silently, the night air around them was comfortable. The blue haired girl smiled as she shortened the distance between their hands and held his in hers.

The blond looked at her, not having expected her action, but smiled nonetheless. "It'll take them a little longer to get there than us." He reminded her as they continued their leisure pace.

Ayumi smiled, understanding his hidden meaning. He wanted to enjoy the tranquil moment with her before enacting the next bit of her plan. The twin tailed girl nodded before standing closer to him and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for going along with this, Yoshiki." She told him, appreciating his help.

The gray eyed teen smirked as he savored the closeness. "No problem, it's not like I won't enjoy his reaction either." Mentally picturing the end result made him chuckle under his breath. "I think you've become a bad influence on me." When Ayumi turned her nose up and away from him he knew that she wasn't actually insulted by his comment. Smiling lightly he landed a light peck to her temple and continued walking through the forest with her.

It was quiet for a bit longer before Ayumi spoke up. "Summer's almost over." She commented looking up at the starlit sky. "This last year is really flying by." Next year her and her friends would be moving onto university and into the adult world. The twin tailed girl hoped to get her degree in art, she still held true to her desire to be an illustrator.

"It's hard to believe. Last year around this time was when my grades started improving." Thanks to you Yoshiki didn't say out loud. "Hell I didn't even think college would be an option for me." The blond admitted to her.

Ayumi frowned before shaking her head. "Yoshiki, you were always capable. I know you're smart, I wouldn't date a dummy." She said the last bit teasingly. "I've told you before that when you put everything into your school work you do really well." She was genuinely proud of him for having kept his grades up over the last year.

Yoshiki nodded as he shoved his free hand into his pocket. "Yeah." He said before changing the subject. "Did you tell your parents about your decision?"

Ayumi tilted her head at the abrupt change of topic but decided to answer. "Yes I did." She answered slowly before pouting. "They weren't happy, but yours and Hinoe's support is enough."

Yoshiki's shoulders dropped slightly at the sadden expression she was making. Squeezing her hand lightly he tried to offer her comfort. He knew that this was a big deal for Ayumi, she wanted to accomplish her dream yet despite her parents love they didn't approve. "I'm sorry, Ayumi." Yoshiki told her, causing her to look back at him.

The dark haired girl shook her head in negative. "Don't be, it's just how it is. I understand why Otou-san doesn't approve." She admitted in a resigned voice. "He'd rather I work towards a more stable career, but I told him what I wanted to do." At least while Ayato wasn't for her decision, he wouldn't do anything to hinder her. 'But it would have been nice to be encouraged...'

The blond pursed his lips but didn't say anymore. Instead he maintained their closeness and enjoyed the warm night air with Ayumi.

They were the first to make it to the shrine. Ayumi's earlier crestfallen expression was replaced by a mischievous one. Quickly they went to the back room and pulled out the projector they had hidden the other night.

"I can't believe Yui-sensei actually agreed to let you borrow this." Yoshiki muttered as he sat the machine up.

Ayumi's shoulders vibrated softly as she laughed. "Fufu, Shishido-sensei was very much on board when I told her what I was planning." The only thing the brown haired woman requested was a detailed telling of the events about to occur.

The couple didn't have to wait long, roughly five minutes after setting up came the first pair after them. "Naomi-chan, you don't need to be embarrassed." Seiko's voice was heard. "I don't mind holding your hand, among other things."

They could hear the curly haired girl's snickers as Naomi scolded her. "Seiko you do realize that we're far away from civilization? Where no one can save you from any disciplinary action I might want to inflict?" Seiko looked worried for all of five seconds before she was grinning again.

"I've told you before, I like it when you punish me, Naomi-chan!"

Naomi groaned loudly. "I swear I am going to burn this string the moment we light that candle."

Seiko's horrified gasp was audible. "Naomi-chan you're so mean! Please forgive me!"

Ayumi and Yoshiki remained hidden as Naomi lit her candle. "Hey, Naomi?" Seiko's voice, suddenly less playful, sounded out.

"What is it?" The brown haired tomboy inquired, a bit more relaxed after having bantered with her best friend.

"You wouldn't actually sever our string, would you?" The usually excitable girl hesitantly asked.

Naomi's brown eyes narrowed for a moment as she considered Seiko's words. Normally she was energetic and loud, now she just seemed subdued. Despite her exasperation with Seiko's endearing quirks she loved her friend the way she was. Naomi smiled thinly before shaking her head in hopes of assuring her best friend. "Of course not, Seiko. You are my best friend, I would never cut our connection."

Seiko stared at Naomi for a few seconds before grinning and lurching forward. "Oh, Naomi-chan you do care!" She said, her earlier melancholy forgotten.

Nearly dropping her match and candle, Naomi struggled to remain on her feet. "Hey now, Seiko." She said, somewhat embarrassed by her friend's abrupt display. "Get your face out of there!" Naomi shouted as she felt Seiko's face press against her bust.

It was at that moment a somewhat subdued Satoshi arrived with Miki. The young girl sighed at the slightly nervous teen. "Come on, Satoshi-san. We're halfway done, so let's get the candle and head back." She coaxed.

Satoshi gulped as he moved with shaky legs, finally reaching the entrance of the shrine they saw Naomi and Seiko lighting a candle. The usually energetic girl was trying to convince Naomi for them to walk back hand in hand. Satoshi's nerves seemed to fade away upon seeing his girlfriend, he opened his mouth to call out to her only to be interrupted.

An eerie voice echoed softly throughout the shrine. "H-a-v-e y-o-u c-o-m-e t-o j-o-I-n u-s?" A disembodied voice softly asked.

Yoshiki bit his tongue to keep from laughing at the way he saw Satoshi's shoulder's stiffen. From next to him Ayumi was doing her best to muffle her snickers as the prerecording played out.

"W-Whose there?!" Satoshi all but squeaked as he turned around to look for the source of the voice. Suddenly he could hear chains clinking in the distance.

"G-e-t o-u-t..." The voice whispered as the chains started to grow in volume. "G-e-t o-u-t, g-e-t o-u-t, g-e-t o-u-t. GET OUT!" Suddenly a door opened and the teens watched as a pale arm reached out from the darkness.

Satoshi yelled in terror before turning and running out of the shrine. "Satoshi!" Naomi called out after him as she and Seiko chased after the brunette.

Coming upon the shrine Mayu and Sakutaro were surprised to see a terrified Satoshi running for his life, followed by his girlfriend.

Ayumi turned off the projector and came out of hiding, she was clutching her sides as she laughed herself to tears. Yoshiki also revealed himself with an amused smirk that he shared with his younger sister. Seiko, having realized that this was all an elaborate prank set up by the class-rep also shared in the laughter.

In the end Satoshi ran back to the camp followed by a worried Naomi. Seiko and Miki, having been left without partners made the trek back side by side. While Ayumi and Yoshiki walked back hand in hand followed by Sakutaro and Mayu.

The rest of the camping trip passed by in relative peace, Satoshi did calm down quickly once his fear induced mind realized it had been another case of Ayumi scaring him. "Still though." The brunette said as he shot his blond best friend a halfhearted glare. "Never would have thought she'd rope you into it." Yoshiki grinned in response as Ayumi squeezed his hand in silent appreciation.

* * *

And there we go. As some of you might have noticed, the events of this chapter were kind of foreshadowed in chapter one. But like I said I dropped this chapter because I felt LatS was long enough, and that this was unnecessary for that story. Here though it was a lot of fun creating.


	5. Chapter 5

This is a short chapter I've had written up last month. Sadly I hadn't gotten around to editing it till now, and even then it probably could have used a little refinement, but overall I think it's good. Sadly the last month has allotted me little writing type. Working in retail during the holidays is always hectic, not to mention we now have a full house with my sister and her two young kids staying with us. Hopefully I'll be able to get some more done soon with Christmas nearly here. If I don't post anything for Christmas, I'll just say it here. I hope all my readers have a wonderful Christmas, and a happy new year.

* * *

Life Together

Chapter Five:

Gray eyes stared out at the city from the roof of Kisaragi Academy. The sun was in the midst of its slow descent, casting the buildings in soft orange hues. Yoshiki sighed before scratching the side of his head, as of late he had been thinking. Earlier today had watched the culture festival for his final year of Kisaragi pass by. In half a year's time he would be out of school and firmly in the adult world. It was a somewhat sobering thought.

Two years ago the thought of finishing high school, much less being able to further his education, hadn't crossed his mind. A year ago it had seemed possible, and now it was within arms reach. However he still had absolutely no idea what he wanted to do after leaving Kisaragi. Yoshiki had deliberated his options, he imagined going to university so he could continue his education and be able to find better employment. Though he had absolutely no idea what he would study, much less what career he would be content with.

Playing music was something he considered for all of a second. Yoshiki had no illusions when it came to his enjoyment of music. He liked to think he was relatively good at playing guitar, the blond allowed a tiny smile as he remembered the first time he ever played for Ayumi. However that wasn't something he could afford to do, playing in small clubs for a few years before maybe getting noticed. That just wouldn't cut it if he wanted to do well by Ayumi, and scraping by as a starving musician would not cut it.

So here he was, currently undecided and thinking. The festival had ended a few hours ago and he knew the rest of his friends were stuck with cleaning up. Though something told Yoshiki that they had probably gotten distracted. 'Ayumi's probably telling a ghost story.' He thought to himself with an amused chuckle as he imagined his girlfriend's bright smile. "And I'm missing out on that." Yoshiki muttered to himself with a self-depreciating smile.

"Missing out on what?" Shinozaki Ayumi's voice sounded from behind him. In response he glanced over his shoulder to see the owner of the voice. Yoshiki noted the look of mischief in Ayumi's eyes. "Shinohara-san said that you had come up here to get away from clean up duty, I didn't want to believe her." She told him in mock sternness, though the slight twitch of her shoulders gave away her amusement.

Rubbing the back of his head Yoshiki chuckled and walked over to her. "I just came up to get some fresh air." He told her, purposely ignoring his earlier thoughts. Even if talking to Ayumi about his worries would help he didn't want to discuss it right now, today had been a fun day and he didn't want to dampen it with his problems. He would wait until tomorrow to tell Ayumi his concerns.

However something in his expression must have given him away, if the furrow of her brow was anything to go by. Ayumi's blue eyes narrowed in, as if trying to see if she could discern Yoshiki's problem by trying to look through him. "What's wrong, Yoshiki?" She eventually asked when she couldn't figure the puzzle her had presented her with on her own.

Yoshiki inwardly frowned before offering a simple smile. "Nothing's wrong." He told her in what he hoped was a convincing voice.

Ayumi's concerned look turned into a displeased glare, over the last year she had gotten really good at picking up on when Yoshiki was hiding something. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "If you don't want to tell me that's fine, but at least be honest about it." Ayumi said with a pout.

Not wanting to see the hurt in her eyes he averted his gaze. "Sorry." He said for lack of having anything better to say. Even after dating for the past year he was still doing things to annoy her.

Ayumi looked at him for a moment before sighing and moving to look out at the city. It wasn't often that she came to the roof, during her first year the roof had once been a hangout spot for delinquents. Although thanks to the reputation Yoshiki had earned during his first year that quickly changed. Even if Yoshiki had been a delinquent himself, he never really cared much for the other delinquents. Ayumi's mouth curved into a rueful smile as she remembered the first time Satoshi convinced the group into joining Yoshiki on the roof for lunch.

At the time she had been somewhat wary of the blond delinquent. Yes she had stepped in to stop him from hitting that teacher, and had even encouraged him to get through school, but he had been infamous at their school. As the first semester of their second year went on and Yoshiki became more intergraded into their group, Ayumi found herself scolding him quite often. Former delinquent or not, as long as Ayumi was his Class-rep she was going to make sure he passed.

Allowing a small smile to grace her features Ayumi silently applauded her boyfriend's efforts over the last year and a half. Ever since he had come to stay at her house, and even afterwards, he had excelled at school. Not to sound egotistical, but Ayumi knew that she played a large role in Yoshiki's improvement. Outside of her group of friends she rarely received much praise for her efforts, (Not that she ever sought it.) but when Yoshiki thanked her...Ayumi's cheeks heated with warmth as she imagined the grateful look he often sent her. Whether it be after a test, or late in the even when she helped him through a tricky equation, he always gave her that warm half smirk-smile.

Chasing her thoughts away Ayumi turned away from the city to look back at Yoshiki, to her surprise her blue eyes met gray. A year ago she would have averted her head and been embarrassed by this, instead she remained undaunted and held his gaze. "I love you." She told him. It wasn't the first time she had said the words, and it wouldn't be the last. "I understand if you don't want to talk about it now, but please don't forget that even outside of school I'm always ready to hear my classmate's troubles." Watery eyed Ayumi smiled as she did her best to use her Class-rep voice.

Yoshiki's lips parted for an instant before curving into an appreciative smile. Reaching forward he took one of her hands into his and laced their fingers together. "Thanks, Ayumi." Ayumi's unshed tears give way to a warm smile as she squeezed his hand back.

The couple stared at the sunset for a little while longer, before heading back down to help the rest of their friends clean up. Tomorrow Yoshiki would tell her about his thoughts, and she would promise to encourage him to do his best in whatever he chose to do.

* * *

That's all I have for now. Like I said, hopefully I'll have something else soon. Merry Christmas everyone.


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